Back to Press Releases

Boothwyn, PA - January 14, 2020

NIELSEN-KELLERMAN ACQUIRES RAINWISE, INC., MANUFACTURER OF PROFESSIONAL GRADE WEATHER STATIONS AND RAIN GAUGES

NK Further Expands its Kestrel Weather and Environmental Instruments Division

Nielsen-Kellerman, Inc. ("NK") is pleased to announce the add-on acquisition of RainWise, Inc. ("RainWise"). RainWise has been known for over 45 years as a market leader in commercial weather stations, solar monitoring stations and rain gauges. NK's acquisition of RainWise closely follows its acquisition of Ambient, LLC ("Ambient") and confirms its commitment to becoming a full-range provider of weather instrumentation.

NK's Kestrel® Weather and Environmental Instruments brand is known for enabling accurate and reliable on-the-spot environmental measurements for professionals and enthusiasts in dozens of applications. Ambient is known for affordable weather stations capable of reporting to a personalized internet weather dashboard. RainWise created the first tipping bucket rain gauge in 1974 and still manufactures highly accurate rain gauges along with professional-grade weather stations for diverse applications including agriculture, industry, fire-weather, and commercial solar power generation at its facility in Trenton, Maine. RainWise's newest product launching in 2020, the MK4 IoT Weather Station, is a completely self-contained weather station that reports directly to the internet via cellular data with no additional accessories required. The NK team believes that the strategic combination of the capabilities of Nielsen-Kellerman, Ambient, and RainWise will greatly expand NK's ability to deliver accurate weather measurements and awareness to customers wherever and whenever desired – in the home, factory, or field and with full IoT capabilities.

"Kestrel and RainWise have parallel histories in innovation in weather measurement and commitment to accuracy, reliability, and US manufacturing. We greatly admire their reputation for building quality products that perform for years and years in the field. Putting our companies together made perfect sense," said Alix James, Nielsen-Kellerman's CEO. RainWise CEO Carsten Steenberg added, "Now we have the combined experience, resources, and reputation to deliver any type of weather station a customer might need, anywhere in the world. I'm looking forward to being able to launch many new products and telling the RainWise story to many more potential customers with NK's help."

About Nielsen-Kellerman

Nielsen-Kellerman is a market leader in manufacturing tools for environmental monitoring across a wide range of professions. Kestrel Instruments and Kestrel Ballistics are NK brand product lines that are used and trusted around the globe. Renowned for their extreme accuracy and reliability, Kestrel meters and data loggers are relied on by professionals in firefighting, HazMat, military, meteorology and other demanding markets. Nielsen-Kellerman is also recognized worldwide for its high-performance line of waterproof speed measurement, timing, and rugged audio systems for competitive rowers and watersport athletes at NK Sports. NK's recently added partner company, Ambient Weather, Inc., sells a broad catalog of wifi-enabled weather stations and accessories online, including Amazon's best-selling home weather station, and provides weather enthusiasts with a personalized view of weather station and forecast data at Ambient Weather Network. NK is proud to be both a recognized leader in Lean Manufacturing and process improvement and an award-winning top workplace. For more information, visit www.nkhome.com. Nielsen-Kellerman has been backed by Clearview Capital since 2017.

About Clearview Capital

Founded in 1999, Clearview Capital is a private investment firm specializing in the acquisition and recapitalization of lower-middle market companies in North America in the business services, healthcare services, manufacturing and specialized distribution industries. Since inception, the Clearview Capital team has completed more than 100 transactions in a wide variety of industries. Clearview Capital is currently making investments from Clearview Capital Fund IV, L.P., a $550 million vehicle. The firm is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut and has an additional office in Los Angeles, California. For more information, please visit www.clearviewcap.com.
Back to Press Releases